No BIOS or socket/pin mod that I know of to unlock the thing..$344 and some change for a new i7-4790K at Newegg..I would shy away from buying a used one because it might be significantly degraded (electromigration) from somebody overclocking/overvolting it.
 
TjMax is 100C, not 110C, for an i7-4790..That's the temperature at which each individual core will begin to throttle, if Thermal Monitoring hasn't been disabled (enabled by default) in the BIOS.

hmm okay what sort of differance would 2400 mhz ram make? And typically how much would be best to get, 16 or 32? also will I still be able to use my current 1600 mhz sticks?
 
And is it worth the upgrade to the 4790k just for the sake of overclocking? Really I just like the system I have in terms of the motherboard and my gaming performance has not given me any issues so far.

ramsisthe3rd
what sort of differance would 2400 mhz ram make? And typically how much would be best to get, 16 or 32? also will I still be able to use my current 1600 mhz sticks?

Nothing real-world noticeable..For a gaming rig, 16GB of RAM is considered minimum, but if you're system isn't currently using nearly all the RAM you have installed now, there's no point in adding more.
 
You can install AIDA64 Extreme (30 day trial or pay), set it up to log System Memory Usage as well as Video Memory Usage and lots of other things, then leave it run in the background while you play games and do what you normally do on your PC, then check the log sometime later.
 
No, you won't be able to use your 1600MHz sticks with 2400MHz sticks..They need to match in frequency and VDIMM (voltage).
 

ramsisthe3rd
is it worth the upgrade to the 4790k just for the sake of overclocking? Really I just like the system I have in terms of the motherboard and my gaming performance has not given me any issues so far.

 
Then don't worry about getting a CPU with an unlocked multiplier, just leave it be if it performs/works good enough for you..Save up a couple grand or so for a new platform.
 

ramsisthe3rd
what is this I hear about hacked/modified bios which let you change the multiplier/overclock on a locked chip. Is this a thing? and if so where can I try it.

 
Don't know.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

RainStryke, thank you for the advice! Quick follow up, I can currently get a i5-4690k for 75 bucks brand new. Do you think this is worth it for the sake of attempting an overclock as compared to the 4790s? I took a look at 4770k's and they are not for sale around me on FB marketplace. I watched this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzpYOHuSfaM&t=9s and it seems like essentially the same gaming performance at the 4790k.
 
I'll be honest, there is no financial reason holding me back from upgrading my PC. It is really more sentimental since these components were the first gaming components I got while I was in college and It took alot of deliberation and assessing finances back then to pull the plug and pick up the PC. Essentially, another thing holding me back is the fact that my motherboard is sooo darn good. The EVGA z87 classified was probably one of the best motherboards you could have gotten in that era and I feel like I haven't even begun to explore its potential. I do plan to upgrade my PC but currently I feel like it is meeting my needs for the titles I am playing and I haven't played a game yet where I am getting horrendously low fps. So is a $75 dollar 4690k a quick cheap boost in performance? or a waste of 75 bucks because there will be titles coming out in the near future which would require more muscle?
 
Also, this PC as it currently sits is more than enough for my gaming needs so far. On 720p and min settings (which I prefer from my Counter Strike days) I have been pushing nearly 200 FPS on COD:MW. I have a 240hz monitor so this type of high refresh rate is great. So I am wondering if an overclocked 4690k would help me push closer to that 240 fps mark in games such as this. my 4790s is pretty maxed out while running COD and so is my 980ti
 
also, reading your signature, 5.2 ghz stable?? thats insane!!

There is no magic BIOS that unlocks locked CPU , so sadly you likely already at the end of the road for 4790S. You could play with DRAM timings to squeeze few more points, but that's it. We focused on overclocking HEDT chips back then, so didn't really pushed to get unofficial OC stuff on Z87.

If I were on the OP place, I'd buy used 4790K or similar chipie and have fun with it. With patience one could get such CPU for few beer bottles :)

ramsisthe3rd
Apologies for resurrecting this post but I had a quick question. I have been reading online that some manufacturers have allowed overclocking on non-K chips via a bios update. As in you update your bios and you can make changes and up the multiplier. Here is the post I was reading: https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/231252-how-i-clocked-my-locked-i5-4690-non-k-past-415ghz/ 
 
I also read that EVGA had allowed this with Skylake CPUs as well.
 
Is this possible with my EVGA z87 Classified? With a Bios update can I change the multiplier on my locked chip? My current Bios version is 1.11 and looking on the forums I don't think I can see anything later.
 
Also, as a side note, I was hoping to get thoughts on going from a 4790s to a Ryzen 5 1600 AF version. Would this be a decent move to make?

You are misunderstanding what you're reading. In that article it stats that you still require a "K" series CPU to do any overclocking that isn't just raising the BCLK. The link you posted was from a time when ASUS released a bios that allowed for multiplier overclocking on "H" and "B" variant boards if you had a "K" SKU chip. You are out of luck with your 4970S. 
 
As for going to a Ryzen 1600AF, yes that will be a pretty good jump in performance from what you have now.

ramsisthe3rd
Ah, that makes sense. Thank you very much for the clarification. What about the 4790s to the Ryzen 1600 AF. Do you have any opinions on this processor? Apparently it is supposed to be a 2600 for a significantly cheaper price. Downside being I would have to update my Motherboard and ram as well.

Yes as I said above that would be a great upgrade for you and leave you with options to upgrade the CPU again later should you choose.